


Alcoholic

by SerpentineJ



Series: Fluffy AU Amorra Key Word Oneshots [5]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fruit, amorra - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 07:20:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2260896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerpentineJ/pseuds/SerpentineJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5)	Alcoholic – Korra is a bartender in one of the classier (but not too fancy) bars in Republic City. A mysterious figure comes in every Friday at 8:00 and orders a scotch on the rocks, and she’s determined to get to know him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alcoholic

Korra wiped the last of the glasses and sighed, mentally preparing herself for the afternoon drinkers. There were more alcoholics amongst them, and as the night would wear on, the tips became more and more generous. With the welcome cash came a plethora of men (and the occasional woman) looking for an easily swayed one-off partner to spend the night with, and the nonstop innuendos and leering glances became tiresome after a while. Fridays like tonight were especially bad. She thanked the lords that were that she was not her typical shift partner and best friend, Asami, though. With long dark hair and large green eyes Asami was the more targeted between them, her charmingly innocent demeanor and peppy cheerfulness convincing the typical lecherous fool that she was easy to manipulate.  
She chuckled and dusted another bottle. Little did they know Asami was extremely sharp and perceptive, slated to inherit the renowned billion-dollar Future Industries from her father, and had been in martial arts classes with Korra since she was 6 years old.

~~~~~

8:00 found Korra and Asami bustling to keep up with the heavily drinking crowd. There was some kind of sports team in the back corner celebrating a win, a group of business partners toasting the conclusion of a new deal, and a party of around 15 celebrating a 22nd birthday. That combined with the usual Friday crowd left the two bartenders feeling severely understaffed.

“I’ll take a scotch on the rocks, please.”

A deep voice startled her out of her focus on pouring another round of rainbow shots for the birthday group.

“Alright, sir, I will be back in just a minute.” She said, walking quickly over to the table housing the rowdy 20 year olds and setting down their drinks.

Korra hurried back up to the bar and, after making sure Asami was taking care of the sports team (and probably making all the good tips), turned to her newest customer.

She grabbed a glass and, scooping ice into it, asked, “What kind of scotch? We have a very nice 16 year Lagavulin, and our Black Label Johnny Walker is popular…”  
He took his hand off his face and requested the Johnny Walker.

Korra noticed that he was quite handsome, with striking features and bright blue-gray eyes. She poured him his drink and with a friendly “Here you go!” set off to attend to the businessmen at the center table who were requesting another round of whiskey.

He stayed at that barstool for exactly an hour and a half, sipping slowly and silently at his drink. At 9:30 he got up and vanished, leaving his scotch-stained glass and a generous tip behind.

~~~~~~

The next Friday, the mysterious man was back, again at 8:30, this time in a dressy black blazer. He sat down in the same barstool and she sidled up to the spot behind the bar facing him.

“Hello, Mr. Johnny Walker. Same thing as last week?”

He spared a brief thought about how she had remembered what he had ordered (surely she served hundreds of people a day?) but massaged his forehead and nodded.

She handed him his scotch on the rocks and lingered there for a minute. This Friday was especially slow, and he was a good tipper and looking to be a regular if this pattern continued.

He didn’t speak the entire time he was there, and left at the same time as last time. 9:30 found Korra picking up an empty scotch glass and collecting another gratuitous tip.  
~~~~~~

The Friday after that was different. The man was back, but he had several scrapes on his face and arms and his long coat was back, though the sleeve was torn and there was dirt on it.

“Uhm… are you alright?” Korra asked, eyeing the man across the bar with a little trepidation. “Do you want your scotch?”

He nodded and said, “I am fine. The scotch, please.”

She came back with his drink and a handful of gauze and antibiotics.

“Here, I figured you might want these. We keep a lot under the bar for bar fights and people getting scraped and such.”

The mysterious man glanced up, surprise evident in his eyes, and accepted the medicinal supplies and his scotch.

“You know,” Korra continued, “You never gave me your name and it looks like you’re going to be a regular around here.”

“My name… I’m Noatak.” The man she now knew as Noatak introduced himself.

Korra smiled. “I’m Korra.” She flushed. “Well, you probably knew that already, seeing as I’m wearing a nametag…”

Noatak smiled in return. He had a nice smile.

That was the extent of their conversation for the night, though Korra missed the way that instead of staring into his alcohol his eyes trailed her around the room, a speculative look on his face.

~~~~~~

The fourth Friday Noatak was 10 minutes late. He walked in, expecting to see Korra at the bar. When he didn’t, he took his usual barstool and waited.

Korra was back a couple minutes later, having finished serving the celebrating sports team in the back. They were the same group from the first time with their uniforms emblazoned with the words “FIRE FERRETS”.

“Hey, Noatak. The regular?” She asked, already taking out a bottle of the Johnny Walker.

“Yes, please.”

Korra poured his drink over the ice cubes in his cup and handed it to him with a napkin.

“You never told me why you were all scraped up last week.”

Noatak sighed and dragged his hand across his face. “I’m a fairly big figure advocating the new bill to give more opportunities to the lower class. I was some jerks beating up a smaller kid and I stepped in.” He chuckled. “Had to buy a new coat for it too.”

“Hmm” The girl across the bar hummed in understanding, nodding her head. “I know the bill you’re talking about. Personally, I think it’s a little extreme, but some of its points are good.”

One of the youths from the sports team in the corner came up to the bar and spoke to Korra.

“Hey, Korra! Can we get another pitcher of beer?” The green-eyed kid grinned and dropped some bills on the counter. “Keep the change; only the best for our favorite bartender.”

Korra smiled back and started to fill a jug of beer, saying, “You guys have a designated driver, right, Bolin?”

The boy said, “Yeah, Asami agreed to drive us back to our apartment after her shift’s over. “

“Alright, see you Wednesday! You’re playing at the arena, right?”

“Of course! Bye, Korra!”

Korra turned back to the barstool with Noatak on it, but he was gone.

~~~~~~

The bar was empty a few Fridays later. Like really, truly dead. Korra had sent Asami home; there was barely a need for one bartender, let alone two. She was sure Mako and Asami were itching for some time alone.

Noatak walked in, sending small tingles of anticipation up her spine.

She brushed them aside. Over Johnny Walkers and the occasional Band-Aid, they had become… friends, and more and more Korra had found herself staring at him. Noatak was an attractive man, and his voice sent shivers down her back, but those were natural reactions. Right?

“Hello, Korra.” Noatak sat down in his usual spot, looking tired.

“There’s my favorite Friday regular.” The girl in question teased, picking up a scotch glass. “The usual?”

The man snorted. “Does that imply you have more favorite regulars? I’m offended.” He considered the wall of fine drinks behind her. “Actually, can I have some of that Stroh rum? It’s been a long week.”

She looked at him questioningly. “Must have been bad. Work troubles?”

He sighed. “My business is in a tight spot.”

“I never asked, where do you work?”

“I am one of the co-CEOs of Amon Inc. One of our biggest business partners… Hiroshi Sato? You might have heard of him… He’s been acting increasingly erratically lately. Paranoid and demanding…”

The only other person in the bar, a content looking businessman, walked out the door, a tip on the table.

Korra started, gathering the glasses and tips. “Sato? One of my best friends is his daughter. You know the other girl usually on shift, Asami? Her.”

“Oh, really.”

Korra looked at him. His face was drawn and pale, obviously stressed.

Noatak finished his drink. It wasn’t near 9:30.

The clock ticked in the still summer air.

A slow song played on the radio.

“Alright.” Korra said, breaking the silence. She picked up her cell phone and dialed her boss’s number.

“Hey, Tenzin. Can I close up the bar early? It’s almost 9:00 and there is nobody here.”

Noatak looked on in confusion. Was she leaving?

“Mmhmm. Yeah. Sure. Thanks!” She put the phone in her pocket. “Alright, I’m off early, and you look far too stressed. Wanna grab some noodles? My treat.”

The man sitting on the barstool cocked his head. Paying for his drink and tipping her, he stood up, his lips twitching in a half-smile. “Sure, Korra.”

She smiled. “Great! Just give me a minute to change.

When she was out of sight, he let a blush and a shy smile overtake his cheeks.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, if any avid scotch/rum lovers are here, I'm sorry if I screwed up some things pertaining to the characteristics of the alcohols. I'm clueless. As always, hope you enjoyed!


End file.
